My winter projecct

[wally409]

After 5 years, I'm going to finish the restoration of my 72 Cheyenne. I bought it in 1978 when it was a 2WD long box with factory AC, tilt, tach, 402 (396) and turbo 400.
I drove it until 2000 when I decided to turn it into a shortbox 4X4 so I got hold of a 1969 4WD frame, bought a 78 4X4 Chevy donor truck and assembled the drivetrain.
The cab, fenders and hood were in real good shape with just a bit of rust so I did the repair and am now going to give it several coats of primer and get it ready for paint. Last fall, I did the underbelly and firewall so with a few hours a week, I plan on having it painted by Christmas. In the past, I've done all the work on my Chevys except the paint but this time, I'm going to spray the truck as my practice for when I do my Biscayne.

 

[bobs409]

Cool! I'm a big fan of 67-72 Chevy trucks myself. I have a 69 Chevy short stepside and a 71 Cheyenne 3/4 ton. Had a 69 4X4 Blazer years ago but sold it for beer money. (kick, kick!)

IMO, these are the BEST looking trucks ever produced. bang

Good luck on the paint job. I'm a self taught painter myself and have really gotten good over the years. It seems every one you do, you get a little better. The key at least for me was to remain as tense free as possible. I used to get tensed up and that doesn't go well when holding a paint gun. Read up on wetsanding and buffing too. That way, you can "fix" any of your mistakes.

 

[bignbad60]

Looks good, good luck with your first paint attempt,,,remember it's mainly about the prep. when you " think" you're ready to paint...prep some more. Great prep leads to great results. I really like the Idea of doing as much on my cars as possible. I just bought an old sewing machine to attempt my first custom interior. Keep us posted with pics,

Tim

 

[wally409]

Hey Tim and Bob - thanks for the tips - I like what Tim said "when you think it's ready to paint, sand some more"
Most of the bondo work has been done (and there's very little of that). I'm going to give it several coats of 2-part primer and block sand for hours and hours and days and weeks...(you know the drill).
I'm also going to utilize the experience of a friend of mine who owns a paint and body shop here in town to keep me on the straight and narrow. I'll give him a beer and a stool and he'll tell me what to do.
Anyway, I'll keep posting pics throughout the process and my goal is to have it ready by April, May next year.
Later...wally